Europe's tallest active volcano, Etna has been spewing ash and lava for days, forcing the closure of nearby Catania airport, a key gateway for tourists visiting the island of Sicily.

Companies that organize nighttime hikes allowing participants to watch the eruption up close say they have been flooded with calls.

"They all want to come and see the lava flow, everyone is drawn to this unique beauty," Daniele Perricelli, 41, a local guide, told AFP on Wednesday.

Perricelli's group, Guide Etna, takes a few dozen visitors up the volcano every evening—but is currently receiving about 300 requests a day, three times what it gets on an average summer day, he said.

Ernesto Maria Magri, another local guide, called it a "tourist eruption" that appeals to "many people" because it can be observed in relative safety.

Even though the volcano erupts frequently, he said many local residents were also climbing up to see the lava and "sometimes crowd around in a disorderly way."

Unwilling or unable to secure a guide, many venture up on their own.

That is potentially risky, Perricelli said, explaining that the volcano was unstable and that it was important to be with someone who could read the mountain.

Safety concerns